The Mephisto Covenant

The Mephisto Covenant By: Trinity Faegen

Rating:  Really Good

Age Group: 15+

Summary (from Amazon.com):  Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—she is an Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx always looming, Jax knows he has to keep Sasha safe and win her over.  But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life?

My Thoughts:  The plot of this book was really unique.   I loved the way Jax and Sasha’s relationship advanced, and I also enjoyed learning about the Mephisto and the Anabo.  I was on the edge of my seat right from the get go, and the pace was just so to keep me there!  I also liked the characters.  Jax and his brothers struck me as well developed, especially considering that there were so many of them.  I already know which one I want the next in this series to be about.  And Sasha was a fun main character.  Anyway, I also liked that even though this book was very sweet it was also very dark.  Really, a great deal of the story is around people losing their souls and how such lost people are dealt with.  There were parts were I was seriously freaked out!   And the twist at the end got to me.  I don’t want to give it away, but let’s just say that two of my favorite side characters were lost.  But this brings up something that bothered me about this book.  Some details seemed sort of vague.  At some parts I’d be reading and there weren’t many details, then suddenly something was happening and I didn’t understand what was going on.  It only happened a few times, but it took away a bit from the experience.  Also, there were a few parts were Sasha’s reaction just didn’t seem believable.  Again, I can’t really give a good example without giving away the end.  Which is bothersome.  But all in all, I found the main characters pretty well developed and I LOVED the plot (though there were a few slow parts, the story was still very good).  There were just a few things that bothered me, but not enough to keep me from enjoying the story.  I’d certainly recommend this book. 

Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever.

Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever.  By: Caissie St. Onge

Rating: Really Good

Age Group: 12+

Summary (from Amazon.com): For Jane Jones, being a vampire is nothing like you read about in books. In fact, it kind of sucks. She's not beautiful, she's not rich, and she doesn't "sparkle." She's just an average, slightly nerdy girl from an ordinary suburban family (who happens to be vampires.) Jane's from the wrong side of the tracks (not to mention stuck in the world's longest awkward phase), so she doesn't fit in with the cool vampire kids at school or with the humans kids. To top it all off, she's battling an overprotective mom, a clique of high school mean girls (the kind who really do have fangs), and the most embarrassing allergy in the history of the undead, she's blood intolerant. So no one's more surprised than Jane when for the first time in her life, things start to heat up (as much as they can for a walking corpse, anyway) with not one, but two boys. Eli's a geeky, but cute real-live boy in her history class, and Timothy is a beautiful, brooding bloodsucker, who might just hold the key to a possible "cure" for vampirism. Facing an eternity of high school pressure, fumbling first dates, or a mere lifetime together with Timothy, what's a 90-something year-old teen vampire to do?

My Thoughts:  I’ll admit I didn’t really have high hopes for this book.  I sort of thought that it would be a lighthearted, fluffy sort of read.  Basically I was just expecting a full on chick flick type book, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It was not only hilarious but also had a good plot.  I loved Jane and her family and they way they interacted with each other and the other vampires.  I liked both Eli and Timothy so much that I had a hard time deciding who I wanted to root for.  There was a plot twist that I wasn’t expecting, and I LOVED that!  I thought I had the book more or less figured out, and it seemed for a long time that I was right, when out of nowhere the unexpected happened!  I am a little disappointed with the ending, though I think the author is setting things up for a sequel (though I could be wrong about that).  It was a sweet, funny read with an interesting plot and I’d recommend it.

Book Recommendations: Haven By: Kristi Cook , Hex Hall By: Rachel Hawkins